Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to elliptical cycles, and particularly to foot platforms of elliptical cycles and other elliptical apparatuses.
Related Art
An elliptical cycle operates by the user standing atop foot platforms and using his legs to stride forward and rearward in a generally elliptical or ovate path causing the rear wheel to rotate and propel the elliptical cycle. Many different versions of the elliptical cycle are known in the art, employing different mechanisms to transfer power from the user to the rear wheel. For example, in one version of an elliptical cycle, an elliptical or ovate path is created by a slider crank mechanism comprised of guide tracks, drive arms and crank arms where a rear end of each drive arm is attached to a corresponding crank arm and a front end of each drive arm is attached to one or more load wheels situated on guide tracks that are attached to a frame of the elliptical cycle. When a user strides, the crank arms rotate in a generally circular motion and the load wheels at the front of each drive arm to reciprocate linearly along the guide tracks, producing an elliptical or ovate motion at the foot platforms. This motion is passed through a transmission system that results in a rear wheel turning. The most common version of an elliptical cycle is known as a “rear-drive” elliptical cycle because the crank system is located to the rear of the rider. The most common propulsion mechanism used by rear-drive elliptical cycles is the slider crank mechanism described above. Another version of a rear-drive elliptical cycle is one that uses a rocker crank mechanism. In this version, the guide tracks and load wheels are replaced by rocker arms that attach to the frame at one end and to the front of the drive arms at the other. When the user strides, the crank arms move in a circle and the rocker arms reciprocate along an arc to produce a generally elliptical or ovate motion at the foot platforms.
One feature common to the different versions of rear-drive elliptical cycles known in the art is that the foot platform is rigidly attached to the drive arm. This means that on these devices, the rider's foot angle is determined by the angle of the drive arm throughout the pedaling stroke.